August (album)

The album opens with the Dowd-Clapton produced "It's in the Way That You Use It", co-written with Robbie Robertson, late of The Band. It was featured in the Paul Newman-Tom Cruise film The Color of Money in October 1986, a month before the album's release, subsequently reaching No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for one week. Two tracks, "Run" and "Hung Up On Your Love", were written by veteran Motown composer Lamont Dozier while "Tearing Us Apart" was a duet with Tina Turner and "Bad Influence" was a cover of a number by blues musician Robert Cray. "Holy Mother", co-written with Stephen Bishop, was dedicated to the memory of another member of The Band, Richard Manuel, who had taken his own life earlier that year.

The album's only UK top 20 hit, "Behind the Mask", was recorded at the suggestion of Greg Phillinganes. Legend has it that upon hearing Yellow Magic Orchestra's original track, around 1980–82, producer Quincy Jones fell in love with the track, and he and Michael Jackson recorded their own version with new lyrics by Jackson during his Thriller sessions. The track never made the Thriller album but Phillinganes, at the time keyboard player for Jackson, released his own version of the song on his 1984 Pulse album, which resembles the Clapton version that became August's lead single in the UK. Jackson's version was finally released in 2010 on the posthumous album Michael.

Clapton's studio band for the album included Collins on drums and backing vocals, bassist Nathan East and keyboard player Greg Phillinganes; saxophonist Michael Brecker, trumpeters Randy Brecker and Jon Faddis, and trombone player Dave Bargeron. Collins, East and Phillinganes would recreate their studio roles for Clapton's acclaimed live appearances over the next two years.

Veering between Collins soul/pop and Clapton blues/rock, August cemented Clapton's comeback.

Some tracks were recorded for the album, but not included:

1. "Wanna Make Love to You" (released on the "Behind the Mask" single; later included on Crossroads)
2. "Lady From Verona" (unissued)
3. "Walking the White Line" (unissued)

• Producers – Eric Clapton (Track 1); Tom Dowd (Tracks 1–12); Phil Collins (Tracks 2–12).
• Engineers – Steve Chase and John Jacobs (Track 1); Paul Gommersall, Peter Hefter and Magic Moreno (Tracks 2–12).
• Photography – Terry O'Neill
• Photography Assistant – Tony Burdett
• Artwork – Zarkowski Designs, Ltd.
• Management – Roger Forrester